It is known primarily for its freely accessible animal park, the Tierpark Oberwald, which is part of the Karlsruhe Zoo.

In the north, the Oberwald ends along the Südtangente street, which runs parallel to the Karlsruhe main station.

During the construction of the Südtangente street in 1969, large quantities of gravel were taken from the region of today's Oberwald.

This resulted in the Erlachsee in the middle of the Oberwald, which is now fenced off for nature conservation purposes, as well as the smaller Oberwaldsee.

[1] On the northern edge of the Oberwald lies the Wasserwerk Durlacher Wald waterworks, planned by Robert Gerwig and put into operation in 1871, with a distinctive water tower, which today, however, is only used rarely due to the highways and the freight station in its vicinity.